The double doors to the audience chamber opened, the sound of the gold-painted wooden barriers echoing through the vaulted chamber beyond. At the heart of the Dawnsea estate on Dawnsea Isle, the audience chamber was meant to impress and performed this function well, even upon those who had seen it before. Golden columns spiraled down from the ceiling in neat rows on either side of the chamber, twelve in all, with red and golden tapestries hanging between them. A red carpet lead from the entrance doors down the length of the expansive room, leading up a tier of steps to the throne at the far end. Above the throne a giant golden shield hung, its face bearing the emblem of a sun rising above three waves.
While the chamber itself was impressive, the Sin'dorei that entered it took little time to admire the view, for upon the throne sat two figures that took far more of his attention. He studied them as he approached, his leather boots echoing in the recesses of the chamber. Although there were no guards present, he couldn't help but feel that invisible eyes studied his every move as he walked.
The throne was a massive, cushioned chair with a high golden back and thick golden arms. Although it was designed for a single person to sit upon it, the sheer size of it allowed for more than enough room for multiple people to rest upon it. Generally this would not be the case, as what noble would wish to share their audience chair with another person? The two sitting upon it were an exception to such a rule however, and it didn't surprise the approaching Sin'dorei in the slightest that they were both there.
Seated in the center of the chair, a red-haired elf watched him approaching, her eyes almost blazing fel-green and her expression carefully guarded. Dressed in a form fitting red cloth corset with golden embroidery and equally tight black silken pants, she toyed idly with the long braid in her hair, her red manicure vying for attention over several exquisite golden rings she wore. She sat with her legs crossed, one expensive, high heeled boot bouncing idly as she waited for him to reach the throne.
Across her lap the second elf was draped. Wearing a dark black dress with silver embroidery, she leaned idly against the arm of the chair, her legs hanging over the other edge and her bare feet crossed at the ankles. She picked at an invisible nothing on her dress, her dark black hair draped and framing her face, partially obscuring view of her expression. The approaching Sin'dorei didn't need to see her fully to understand that the face hidden behind the wall of hair was identical to the one that studied him; the two elves were twins, identical in all but the color of their hair. The one sitting upright was perhaps a shade less pale, but it would be difficult to tell them apart at a glance.
As he drew near, the red-headed elf spoke, her voice almost a soft purr, "You are late. Report."
The voice sent shivers up his spine, and he knew that Calexa Dawnsea would not be pleased with what he had to tell her. Hastily he dropped to one knee, his head bowed and his eyes locked on the floor before the throne, "My lady, the attempt failed. Alleriel Sunhaven lives."
The words were met with a brooding silence. Daring to peek up, the elf saw Calexa frowning, her fingers twirling the end of her braid over and over. She sighed lightly, and immediately the other elf, her sister Darva Dawnsea, reached out to place a reassuring hand on her arm. Calexa smiled slightly, patting her sister's hand and then glaring at the kneeling elf, "I am displeased. You were to eliminate the Sunhaven Scion such that we could negotiate with them on more even grounds. Pray that you did not leave evidence that would lead Lady Sunhaven back to this House, for if you displayed that level of incompetence, your service will...no longer be required."
The threat was not even veiled, the tone of Calexa's voice menacing. The room itself seemed to shrink around the kneeling elf, and he found himself breaking into a cold sweat, imagining clawed hands reaching out to touch him. Why he felt this way and what was causing the effect was not immediately obvious, but it got the point across, "N-no my Lady! The orcs I paid had no emblems of our House upon them. I never once mentioned our intentions. Only one of them lived anyway and he will be able to say nothing, as he saw not even a trace of my face."
On the throne, Calexa paused, considering his response. In her lap, Darva stirred, the paler Dawnsea twin leaning forward and clinging to her sister's arm. She looked at the kneeling elf directly for just a moment, quickly hiding her face again and leaning forward to whisper into Calexa's ear. Although his superior Sin'dorei hearing easily allowed him to catch what passed between the two elves on the throne, the words were in a language he could not understand, the sounds guttural and painful to the ears. He shook his head, trying to clear the sound from his mind.
When the whispering stopped, he looked up to see Darva place a kiss upon her sister's cheek with ruby red lips before the dark haired elf turned to stare at him. Calexa leaned against her sister, their cheeks pressed together and her own gaze boring into him. It was beyond unsettling having the two identical elves fixated on him and he quickly looked away.
"We believe this may play to our advantage," Calexa said softly. "House Sunhaven will question who sent the assailants. They will begin to become wary even of those who would be their allies. This may allow us to find others in House Felo'melorn who would be amiable to our goals. You will go now, and await our instructions."
Relieved, the elf bowed low, his voice a muted whisper, "Yes my Lady."
He quickly rose, turning and hurrying towards the exit, distinctly aware of the two pairs of eyes boring into his back. Just as his hand touched the double door to push it open, Calexa's voice drifted to him softly from her place on the throne.
"Your failure will not be forgotten or forgiven. We will be watching you closely."
The assassin grew deathly pale, shivering as he turned and pushed the door open, hurrying out into the relative safety of the corridors beyond. Behind him, two pairs of fel-green eyes stared at him until he was out of sight before turning towards each other. Two identical smiles grew across two Sin'dorei faces as the sisters nodded at one another.
The plan had changed, but it would unfold in their favor either way. Someone was going to pay for what had been done to them.
No, everyone was.
No comments:
Post a Comment